TEA PARTY SHAKE-UPs and CA SHAKEDOWNs

Dear Readers:  I have some news to report about another shake-up involving Tea Party Patriots.  Mark Meckler, who was involved with the national organization since its inception, has resigned. Two other high-level members, Ginny Rapini (of NorCal Tea Party one one of the most brilliant, dynamic women I have been privileged to meet) and Mike Ruthenberg (the former national training coordinator), have also left.

My readers will recall that I have been unhappy with the direction that the national organization Tea Party Patriots (TPP) has taken for quite some time. It seems TPP has been overcome by the waste, fraud, and abuse we have been working against since the first tea parties in February, 2009.

For example, Board Member Debbie Dooley mocked and derided local activist Sarah Bond, when Sarah expressed deep concerns about grassroots money going to fund a GOP debate in which citizens would not be allowed to ask questions directly. Apparently, ridicule and disdain seems to be the standard operating practice for the national organization whenever they are confronted with reasonable complaints and sensible corrective measures by engaged and concerned members.

If Debbie was so keen to heap such scorn on a local tea party participant, I can’t imagine the magnitude of the sneering condescension Mark, Ginny or Mike have had to cope with in an attempt to redirect that national organization back to its foundational focus of personal liberty, fiscal responsibility, and constitutionally oriented governance. The resignation of these three patriots has left Tea Party Patriots bereft of leadership geared to regular Americans. It seems that establishment types lead by politically connected cronies are now fully in charge. Sadly, these beltway bandits, who hold a great deal of responsibility for the massive policy failures that impact us today, have become the “face” of the national organization.

If you are interested and wish to be fully informed, please refer to my previous posts for additional background and details:

• My STEADFAST resolve to kick elite a$$.

• Operation STEADFAST II: A Tale of Two Tea Parties

• Operation Steadfast III: The Dangers of Publicity Addiction

• Operation Steadfast IV: New Friends, New Networks

• Operation Steadfast V: Of Starfish and Spiders

• Operation Steadfast VI: Exactly WHY Does Her Opinion Matter More than Yours?

• CA TEA PARTIES: We Don’t Need DICTATES or DISTRACTIONS, TPP

So, how is this going to impact “the Tea Party”? Personally, I think most tea party types have recognized for a very long time that real change that will help real people comes from involvement on a more local basis. In fact, to rework a quote: Reform does not take place in Washington, DC. Reform takes place in the rest of country.

So, we are going to continue to be active and involved during the 2012 elections.

To that end, California activists are meeting March 3-4 in San Juan Capistrano. Please try to join us if you can! (Click HERE for more information)

California Tea Party Groups
Strategic Conference
San Juan Capistrano – Orange County, California 92675
Capistrano Inn/Best Western
27174 ORTEGA HWY SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA 92675
949.493.5661

(Note: I will be doing a presentation on how to navigate the media March 3rd)

We have tons of work to do. For example, it seems that two of the three tax-hiking ballot measures slated to be presented to California voters come from billionaires. Here is the information:

California Billionaires Bankroll Tax Hike Referenda

Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager with major investments in renewable energy, is promoting a $1.1 billion tax on out-of-state businesses with operations in California to fund renewable energy projects. His initiative would make California an even more hostile place for businesses to operate, likely kill jobs and raise consumer prices, while diverting taxpayer money to corporate welfare for tycoons such as himself.

In 2010, Californians voters rejected the same tax increase on out-of-state businesses by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin

Molly Munger wants to increase income taxes on everyone to raise $10 billion annually. Munger is the daughter of billionaire Charles Munger (a partner of Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway) and is a Los Angeles civil-rights lawyer. She has been credited for devoting some of her considerable fortune to support early childhood education, but she now seems intent on compelling everyone else to support the cause she has selected.

With many states actually wanting to REPEAL STATE INCOME TAXES, I am hard pressed to be convinced that the state government money grab is going to make California more appealing to wealth-producing tax-payers, and no amount of billionaire-sponsored advertising is going to convince me otherwise. Here is Flaming Capitalism Graphic of the Day:

Why is it that people with enormous wealth feel they know better how the rest of us should live? I think that we citizens will continue to shake things up so we are no longer shaken down!